Pitt OL Alex Bookser arrested on array of charges, including DUI

Alex Bookser started all 13 games at right guard for Pitt in 2016. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

A starter on Pitt’s offensive line ran into some trouble over the weekend.

According to multiple outlets, Alex Bookser, a starting guard for the Panthers, was arrested early Sunday morning on multiple charges, including driving under the influence. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Bookser was also cited for “reckless driving, careless driving, an accident involving damage to an attended vehicle, an accident involving damage to an unattended vehicle, failure to drive at a safe speed, failure to obey stop signs or yield signs and operating a vehicle without an official certificate.”

Police say Bookser drove into two vehicles, blew through a stop sign and crashed into a building before being arrested.

From the Post-Gazette:

A Pitt police officer parked along Semple Street saw Bookser’s vehicle traveling “at a high rate of speed” around 12:40 a.m. Sunday. The officer tried to stop the vehicle, but Bookser kept driving and at one point drove through a stop sign at Forbes Avenue, according to a criminal complaint filed by police.

The complaint said Bookser was “traveling in a careless and reckless manner with no regard to the public or other vehicles.” Bookser eventually turned onto Meyran, where he crashed into the Loeffler Building at 121 Meyran Ave., police said. He was immediately arrested.

“We are extremely disappointed in the circumstances Alex put himself in, and others, because of his poor decision making,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “He has expressed to me his extreme regret and disappointment in himself. Alex understands the importance of accountability when a mistake of this gravity is made. We are committed, as is Alex, to ensuring his actions and judgment will be better moving forward.”

Bookser, a native of suburban Pittsburgh, was a four-star recruit in 2014. After redshirting his first season, he played in all 13 games, including two starts, in 2015. He moved into the starting lineup full time in 2016, settling in at right guard and earning honorable mention All-ACC honors.